Challenges of post-war policy reforms in Lebanon's water sector – lessons learned

Abstract

Lebanon has not been able to properly develop and benefit from its water sources. A confessional system of governance has hindered development of the sector. Laws and regulations have been developed erratically with many superseding others without the superseded laws being erased from the registry. This created a chaotic regulatory and legal environment with overlapping jurisdictions and no clear accountability mechanisms. The period before the onset of the civil war in 1975 witnessed significant progress of both infrastructure and laws and regulations related to the management of the water sector. The civil war destroyed the water sector infrastructure and emptied all regulatory control of the resources. The period of reconstruction between 1990 and 1999 witnessed the promulgation of ambitious reconstruction plans for the water sector with funding reliant on borrowing from local and external debtors. Post 1999, government reforms started creeping into the system but were often donor driven and still suffered from the same mistakes of laws overlain on top of existing laws without erasing the older material. Critically, the management of the sector is not inclusive and the beneficiaries of water services are often not heard and ignored. HIGHLIGHTS What can we learn from the Lebanese example?; What is the situation 30 years after the end of war in Lebanon?; Many countries of the region are either in a state of war of have just ended a war. What can we expect for these countries?; Introducing new Water laws is always the case when policy reforms are engaged. What are their impact on the ground?; Lebanon is also a case of legal pluralism. What can we learn?;

Keywords

• policy frameworks
• post-war lebanon
• regional water establishments (rwes)
• water law
• water reform